The heart of the Calendar is the Working List of Visual Meteor Showers, thanks to regular updating from analyses using the IMO's Visual Meteor Database, the single most accurate listing available anywhere today for naked-eye meteor observing. Even this can never be a complete list of all meteor showers, since there are many showers which cannot be properly detected visually, and some which only photographic, radar, telescopic, or video observations can separate from the background sporadic meteors, present throughout the year.

The IMO's aims are to encourage, collect, analyze, and publish combined meteor data obtained from sites all over the globe in order to further our understanding of the meteor activity detectable from the Earth's surface. Results from only a few localized places can never provide such total comprehension, and it is thanks to the efforts of the many it IMO observers worldwide since 1988 that we have been able to achieve as much as we have to date. This is not a matter for complacency, however, since it is solely by the continued support of many people across the whole world that our steps towards constructing a better and more complete picture of the near-Earth meteoroid flux can proceed. This means that all meteor workers, wherever they are and whatever methods they use to record meteors, should follow the standard IMO observing guidelines when compiling their information, and submit their data promptly to the appropriate Commission for analysis.

Visual and photographic techniques remain popular for nightly meteor coverage (weather permitting), although both suffer considerably from the presence of moonlight. Telescopic observations are much less popular, but they allow the fine detail of shower radiant structures to be derived, and they permit very low activity showers to be accurately detected. Video methods continue to be dynamically applied as in the last few years, and are starting to bear considerable fruit. These have the advantages, and disadvantages, of both photographic and telescopic observing, plus some of their own, but are increasing in importance. Radio receivers can be utilized at all times, regardless of clouds, moonlight, or daylight, and provide the only way in which 24-hour meteor observing can be accomplished for most latitudes. Together, these methods cover virtually the entire range of meteoroid sizes, from the very largest fireball-producing events (using all-sky photographic and video patrols or visual observations) through to tiny dust grains producing extremely faint telescopic or radio meteors.

However and whenever you are able to observe, we wish you all a most successful year's work and very much look forward to receiving your data.

Clear skies!

Peak night Jan 3-4

Quadrantids

Active from
December 28th
to January 10th

The Quadrantids have the potential to be the strongest shower of the year but usually fall short due to the short length of maximum activity (6 hours) and the poor weather experienced during early January. The average hourly rates one can expect under dark skies is 25. These meteors usually lack persistent trains but often produce bright fireballs. Due to the high northerly declination (celestial latitude) these meteors are not well seen from the southern hemisphere.

Lyrids

Active from
April 16th
to April 25th

The Lyrids are a medium strength shower that usually produces good rates for three nights centered on the maximum. These meteors also usually lack persistent trains but can produce fireballs. These meteors are best seen from the northern hemisphere where the radiant is high in the sky at dawn. Activity from this shower can be seen from the southern hemisphere, but at a lower rate.

eta Aquariids

Active from
April 19th
to May 28th

The Eta Aquariids are a strong shower when viewed from the southern
tropics. From the equator northward, they usually only produce medium
rates of 10-30 per hour just before dawn. Activity is good for a week
centered the night of maximum activity. These are swift meteors that
produce a high percentage of persistent trains, but few fireballs.

Southern delta Aquariids

Active from
July 12th
to August 23rd

The Delta Aquariids are another strong shower best seen from the
southern tropics. North of the equator the radiant is located lower in
the southern sky and therefore rates are less than seen from further
south. These meteors produce good rates for a week centered on the
night of maximum. These are usually faint meteors that lack both
persistent trains and fireballs.

alpha Capricornids

Active from
July 3rd
to August 15th

The Alpha Capricornids are active from July 3 through August 15 with a
"plateau-like" maximum centered on July 30. This shower is not very
strong and rarely produces in excess of five shower members per hour.
What is notable about this shower is the number of bright fireballs
produced during its activity period. This shower is seen equally well
on either side of the equator.

Perseids

Active from
July 17th
to August 24th

The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm
August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere. The Perseids are
active from July 17 to August 24. They reach a strong maximum on
August 12 or 13, depending on the year. Normal rates seen from rural
locations range from 50-75 shower members per hour at maximum.The Perseids are particles released from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle during its numerous returns to the inner solar system. They are called Perseids since the radiant (the area of the sky where the meteors seem to originate) is located near the prominent constellation of Perseus the hero when at maximum activity.

Southern Taurids

Active from
September 10th
to November 20th

The Southern Taurids are a long-lasting shower that reaches a barely
noticeable maximum on October 9 or 10. The shower is active for more
than two months but rarely produces more than five shower members per
hour, even at maximum activity. The Taurids (both branches) are rich
in fireballs and are often responsible for increased number of
fireball reports from September through November.

Orionids

Active from
October 2nd
to November 7th

The Orionids are a medium strength shower that sometimes reaches high
strength activity. In a normal year the Orionids produce 10-20 shower
members at maximum. In exceptional years, such as 2006-2009, the peak
rates were on par with the Perseids (50-75 per hour). Recent displays have produced low to average displays of this shower.

Northern Taurids

Active from
October 20th
to December 10th

This shower is much like the Southern Taurids, just active a bit later
in the year. When the two showers are active simultaneously in late
October and early November, there is sometimes an notable increase in
the fireball activity. There seems to be a seven year periodicity with
these fireballs. 2008 and 2015 both produced remarkable fireball activity.

Leonids

Active from
November 6th
to November 30th

The Leonids are best known for producing great meteor storms in the
years of 1833, 1866, 1966, and 2001. These outbursts of meteor
activity are best seen when the parent object, comet
55P/Tempel-Tuttle, is near perihelion (closest approach to the sun).
Yet it is not the fresh material we see from the comet, but rather
debris from earlier returns that also happen to be most dense at the
same time. Unfortunately it appears that the earth will not encounter
any dense clouds of debris until 2099. Therefore when the comet
returns in 2031 and 2064, there will be no meteor storms, but perhaps
several good displays of Leonid activity when rates are in excess of
100 per hour. The best we can hope for now until the year 2030 is
peaks of around 15 shower members per hour and perhaps an occasional
weak outburst when the earth passes near a debris trail. The Leonids
are often bright meteors with a high percentage of persistent trains.

Geminids

Active from
December 4th
to December 17th

The Geminids are usually the strongest meteor shower of the year and
meteor enthusiasts are certain to circle December 13 and 14 on their
calendars. This is the one major shower that provides good activity
prior to midnight as the constellation of Gemini is well placed from
22:00 onward. The Geminids are often bright and intensely colored. Due
to their medium-slow velocity, persistent trains are not usually seen.
These meteors are also seen in the southern hemisphere, but only
during the middle of the night and at a reduced rate.

Ursids

Active from
December 17th
to December 26th

The Ursids are often neglected due to the fact it peaks just before
Christmas and the rates are much less than the Geminds, which peaks
just a week before the Ursids. Observers will normally see 5-10 Ursids
per hour during the late morning hours on the date of maximum
activity. There have been occasional outbursts when rates have
exceeded 25 per hour. These outbursts appear unrelated to the
perihelion dates of comet 8P/Tuttle. This shower is strictly a
northern hemisphere event as the radiant fails to clear the horizon or
does so simultaneously with the start of morning twilight as seen from
the southern tropics.